Mike Glennon lands at No. 73, above Matt Barkley and Ryan Nassib

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected North Carolina State quarterback Mike Glennon with the 73rd overall pick, continuing the rather shocking falls of both Matt Barkley and Ryan Nassib.

Once upon a time, Barkley was considered a potential No. 1 draft pick, while Nassib seemed to be right in Buffalo's wheelhouse in the top 10 on Thursday. Instead, both players just kept tumbling, with E.J. Manuel (No. 16, Buffalo) and Geno Smith (No. 39, Jets) finding homes before them.

Glennon then joined the NFL ranks with the Bucs, perhaps throwing some extra pressure on Josh Freeman's shoulders as we head into the 2013 season.

The strong-armed Glennon was a divisive prospect heading into the draft -- scouts either loved his big body (6-foot-7) and huge arm or scoffed at his horribly inconsistent game tapes.

There is little question he'll need at least a season to mature as a passer, and the Bucs still have Dan Orlovsky to fill the backup role behind Freeman. A third-round pick, then, is a fairly safe shot for the Buccaneers here.

But Glennon will be compared up against Barkley and Nassib as that trio of quarterbacks moves forward in the NFL. Glennon does have the arm to fit well in Tampa Bay's vertical passing offense, but this still is a gamble by the Bucs. Barkley might be the most NFL-ready quarterback in this draft; Nassib has enough upside that he was a potential top-10 guy in pre-draft discussions.

There's a fairly high ceiling for Glennon, too -- the Joe Flacco comparisons are easy to make, and if he hones his game, Glennon could perform similarly. The floor could fall out pretty quickly, however, if Glennon does not take strides forward early.